University of California at San Francisco, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street N472J, San Francisco, California 94107, USA. cohen@cmpharm.ucsf.edu
Several sporadic and genetic diseases are caused by protein misfolding. These include cystic fibrosis and other devastating diseases of childhood as well as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other debilitating maladies of the elderly. A unified view of the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of these conditions has led to the search for chemical chaperones that can slow, arrest or revert disease progression. Molecules are now emerging that link our biophysical insights with our therapeutic aspirations.